Mint Julep

Trains and golf crisscross this southern fried story of dysfunctional couples. The question is if you run to Oz will the wizard make you whole? Deirdre (Angelica Torn) shows us the ugly side of vulnerability as she looks for independence and her own sense of self. David Morse gives a tender performance as Karl the grounds keeper. Karl renders justice in his own way from his omnipresent position. Leighton (Ian Teal) plays the bumbling Lurch-like and misunderstood husband to Deirdre in comic relief, providing some of the films lighter moments. A cameo performance by James Gandolfini juxtaposes New York crassness to Southern sensibilities. While the trains in this film are used to depict time, travel and distance; the golf course is akin to the land of Oz. Oz has it's wizard (Karl) and it's wicked witch Veronica (Susan Aston). Miss Aston is delectable as the sexy, older and very very wicked witch. Director Ian Teal captures the feel and pace of life in the south. Writer Kathy Fehl has filled it with all the characters that populate that region of the country. This movie is a great afternoon vacation to the south.

Although set in a small town in the US south, Mint Julep feels surprisingly like a "foreign" film -- an honest look at the ambiguities and nuances of marriage and romance, filled with subtle and not-so-subtle humor and the occasional foray into the surreal. Through their encounters with a variety of lovers and in trying circumstances, characters grow or don't, as people will. The content of the film is echoed in its delivery, imperfect but striving for excellence. Minor technical glitches occasionally distract from the strong writing and solid performances -- this is a truly independent film after all -- but ultimately its integrity shines through.

Mint Julep is filled with beautiful imagery, sly humor, savvy cameos, and excellent music. The score is moody and helps to create an added dimension of heat to the film. The film makes me feel exactly as if I'm in the hot humid slow quiet buggy South.

It's very like European cinema after World War II, and at the same time, it's a very modern American film. Like life itself, it is seemingly aimless, disjointed on occasion and full of truth. Mint Julep takes characters that are at the end of their ropes emotionally, fraying at the tip, and lets them sweat it out in sometimes almost unimaginable.

The story is funny, yet sad....simple, yet thought-provoking.

Check it out.

Agree with rating above (feels foreign, surreal, etc.)...I really didn't know what to expect, I just wanted to see David Morse. But I was pleasantly surprised! The movie has a vintage feel, which is refreshing in the age of CGI mega-blockbusters. But the themes are as timely as ever.

David Morse plays a grounds keeper at a golf course, giving Bill Murray a run for his money, in my view. Gandolfini's cameo, while short, is dead-on and very appropriate. The rest of the cast is people I haven't heard of; but they impressed me as well. (Esp. Angelica Torn)

Also has one of the most memorable scenes/images I have ever seen in a film! (hint: over-easy)